"My name is Ira Wohl. This is my cousin Philly. Philly is 52 years old and has mental retardation. In 1938, when he was 12, he started to become self-destructive. His parents, not knowing how else to deal with it sent him to live in an institution. They hoped he would learn discipline there and he did. But it was an unhappy experience for all of them.

So after two years, they brought him home and that's where he has been ever since. I suppose I'm as guilty as everyone else in the family of always taking Philly for granted. I remember them saying his mind stopped growing when he was five.

I guess I always accepted that, but three years ago at a family gathering, I began to wonder what would happen to Philly when his parents were gone. So I spoke with them and his sister Francis about it. I told them I thought he needed to become more independent. Although this idea was very difficult for them to deal with, they realized that for Philly's sake, as well as their own peace of mind, something needed to be done. This film is a record of what they did and how it changed Philly's life."

Best Boy was the winner of the Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary.

The original Best Boy film was followed by two other documentaries. Best Man was released 20 years later and tells the success story of Philly who still lives in the same group home and is preparing for his Bar Mitzvah. Best Sister was released eight years after that and tells the story of Philly's sister, Frances, who is turning 80 and still providing support to Philly.

Description based on information found on the Best Boy film website as viewed on 2/7/2014: http://bestboythemovie.com/